Hello, my name is Anatli Smalley. I am a former foster youth, a survivor of severe domestic violence, a minority(Latina), and a woman with multiple auto-immune diseases. Despite these challenges, I am a full-time student at Vanguard University of Southern California, majoring in theology, and the captain of the school's first-ever Women's Wrestling team. Although I can certainly say that my persistence, determination, and strong will have carried me a great distance, it was the selflessness of others that brought me to where I am today. In this reflection, I'm able to conclude that selflessness is the quality I value most in myself. In an individualistic society, that revolves around concretely competitive morals who would care to develop a lifestyle of selflessness? Furthermore, why would a character trait not centered on self-development or self-improvement be considered the most valuable one? In my short life, I have witnessed some profound tragedies. I have lost siblings, parents, and family, only to then also lose both my physical and mental health. I have had so many doctor's appointments that I could no longer keep count. The Covid-19 pandemic greatly isolated me and I lost most of the little support I had in life. For many months I was bed-bound and used a walker to get from my bed to the restroom and then back again. With neither the energy to sit up or even eat, life began to seem quite pointless. After having a 4.0 GPA in high school and being the first-ever woman to win the CA State Wrestling Championships for my school, my doctors told me I may never finish college or wrestle again. It was during this time that I began to ponder on the most meaningful memories I had. As I faced what may have been the end of my life, my accomplishments equaled to naught. What really mattered at the end of it all? It was the actions of who had helped me to get this far. Memories flooded my mind of selfless gestures, people going far out of their way to further me in life, and those who had denied themselves to improve me. I decided this was what was most important to me, and these memories became my personal treasures. I suddenly valued a quality many would consider worthless in this quick-moving world. Some months after, my health miraculously improved and I was eventually able to walk, run, and then wrestle again. In an effort to be the blessings I had received, I began to coach for free at my former High School. I helped lead the girl's wrestling team to a historic CIF win by over 120 points! But more importantly, I was able to selflessly reach my hands into their lives and impactfully inspire them to be the best young women they can be. Now, I have been recruited at Vanguard University for the school of Theology, and to captain the Women's Wrestling team. Here I daily and intentionally pour into those around me, even when I feel unwell. While my persistence, determination, and strength have carried me a great distance, it's my ongoing selflessness that I hope will define me when I meet my final day. Thank you for your time and consideration, and God bless.

My favorite memory from wrestling was in 2017 when I won the California State Championships undefeated! I had just started wrestling before my freshman year of high school, and I won this title my junior year. I had only been wrestling for 3 years at the time, and I had faced so much adversity on the way to earning this title. I started wrestling with the California Grapplers at Northview at the age of 13, which was such a great place to start. Then, I began my freshman year at South Hills High School. I was a very driven and motivated athlete. Though I had little experience, I had big dreams! However, it seemed I was the only on who believed in myself. When I told my coach I had dreams of being a state champ he told my teammates on the spot and laughed at me, assuring me it wasn't in the books for me. I didn't care, I believed I was still going to do it. Unfortunately, my freshman year took a turn when my coach got arrested for having a relationship with my teammate and my school got a bomb threat. It was devastating and I was forced to move schools. At my second school(Los Osos High School) I was welcomed by the head coach with, "I've never coached a girl and I never planned on it, but my wife said to give you a chance." I was the only girl on a team of 30 boys. It was extremely difficult to say the least. I didn't expect anyone to cut me slack for being a girl, and they definitely weren't going to. I ran the same miles, and did the same pushups as everyone else. So it was a great surprise when I made it to the state championships and they sent no coach with me! I made it to the quarter finals, where I broke my ribs and had to sit out for 6 months. When I returned, the coach had been fired and replaced with an even more sexist coach, so I proceeded to move schools. My junior year began at Upland High School, where I was one of 7 girl wrestlers, 5 of which had never wrestled before. We had a young coach who had never coached girls wrestling before. But, the lack of experience around me would not stop me from accomplishing my goals. In addition to this, I had been facing heavy difficulties living at home for many years and was put into foster care shortly after taking the state title. Then, there was the match itself..I cannot express enough how happy I was before the match even began. I knew it belonged to me because I had worked so hard. For the first time ever, I found myself warming up for a match with zero anxiety! I proceeded to pin the girl in the third quarter after some intense scrambling. The ref blew the whistle, raised my hand, and the crowd went wild. In that moment, more than being a State Champion, I felt I had just overcome so many harsh circumstances to become a champion truly in life. That is why this is my favorite wrestling memory.

To whom it may concern: As far back as I can remember, I have always had a passion for math! In fact, in middle school I applied to a program that allowed me to start the next level of math ahead of time. I was so excited! Now, I am a math major in college and it is such a great fit. I enjoy studying, and attending class because of my love for the subject. I see math in my everyday life constantly and it's almost always on my mind! I love that it is challenging, and that there's not only one way to solve a problem( a lesson I feel very well applies to life). I'm often asked what career I desire to pursue after getting my degree. This is a tough question for me because I enjoy teaching so much. I am currently a high school coach and I thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to impact the lives of the next generation so much! However, I am so passionate about math that I truly desire to become a mathematician. I do plan on getting my Doctorates degree in Pure Mathematics, and even then the fun will just be beginning. I aspire to work on Millennium problems and other unsolved problems of our time. In conclusion, I hope to add to and expand mathematics as much as one person can in a lifetime because I just love math!

Have you ever wondered about the challenges of being a high-level competitive athlete? What about doing this while being a female? Now that takes boldness. Let me share a bit about these pictures. This is me: I'm a female wrestler in the olympic development program. Coming through a foster care system had an impact on self-esteem, but wrestling changed that for me. I had to develop the confidence to believe I could in fact triumph the obstacles of the mat, and of life. I went on to be the California State Champion. This is my Bold story.